If the iPhone SE was your device-of-choice before, the iPhone 16e might just be right up your alley. This iPhone is meant to deliver just the essentials.

Apple's iPhone 16e makes some trades to hit a lower price, but it makes a case for itself as the cheapest phone that will last the longest.

First, the company shifted away from the “SE” branding after nearly a decade. Then it priced the budget phone higher than expected at $599 – a notable jump from the $429 iPhone SE.

Apple’s new iPhone 16e arrived on my doorstep at a critical time in our personal tech world. Prices are higher, consumer demand is lower, and all the “incremental improvements” companies are pushing to get us to dole out the equivalent of a mortgage payment for the next new thing are,

Apple's iPhone 16e features significant upgrades over the previous entry-level iPhone, including Apple Intelligence, Face ID, and an Action button.

Apple delivered its latest budget handset, the $599 iPhone 16e, without pomp. There was no big event in person, nor was there one online. No journalists

Apple’s latest product is the iPhone 16e, the most affordable Apple phone you can buy. It goes on sale on Friday, Feb. 28, for $599 from apple.com. Along with the headline features, there are some you may not know about.

Before the iPhone 16e’s arrival, the best budget iPhone option was the SE, which had a decade-plus-old design and a tiny IPS screen with a lower resolution and an IPS panel. Replacing the SE with a product with modern design, top-tier specs, and Apple Intelligence is a major leap forward for Apple’s entry-level smartphone.

But factor in the price increase, and it might be worth sitting this one out Apple has launched a new budget iPhone. Rather than discussing specifications or the price hike, the real question is whether the company's latest and cheapest can be repaired.